♦ % 




STEPHEN GIRARD, 
Drawn and Engraved by W. Croome, after a Daguerreotype by Henry Barratt, 



from the original Portrait, by Otis. 



T. Desilver, Publisher.] 



[Copyright secured. 



THE 



WILL 



OF THE LATE 



STEPHEN GITUKD, ESQ. 



PROCURED FROM THE 



©ffice for tljc probate of totlle, 



WITH A SHORT 



BIOGRAPHY OF HIS LIFE. 




The architect of his own fortunes — he has reared a durable monument of his fame in the 
benefactions he has bequeathed to posterity. 



PHILADELPHIA: 
THOMAS DESILVER. 

FOR SALE BY ALL THE BOOKSELLERS. 

1848. 



<> 









* 



Entered according to the Act of Congress, in the year 1847, by 
THOMAS DE SILVER, 

in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States in and for the 
Eastern District of Pennsylvania. 



Charles, Stereotvper, ? 
„ „ J r ' £ 9 George Street, 

& Baird, Printers, 5 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 



STEPHEN GIRARD. 



Stephen Girard was born at Bordeaux, in France, in, or about the year 
1746. Little is known of the early period of his life ; and his education 
is supposed to have been scanty and deficient ; whether owing to the neglect 
of his parents, or the natural waywardness of youth, cannot now be known. 
A spirit of enterprise, a love of adventure, and a thirst of new scenes and un- 
tried situations, very early distinguished him ; and no doubt, as early impelled 
him to leave his native land, for foreign climes and novel modes of existence. 
It has been said, but with what truth we are not now enabled to state, that 
parental oppression embittered the shelter of his domestic roof, and inspired 
him with the first thought of emigration ; but it is so easy for the high tem- 
perament of youth, to fancy that severe which is only just, and to plead the 
tyranny of parents, in justification of their own want of filial piety, that we are 
bound on all occasions, to listen to such narratives as the usual figments of the 
young, who are naturally disposed to embellish every thing with the tints of 
romance ; and let fancy riot, where facts are obscured from their knowledge. 
It is most likely, taking into consideration the peculiar structure of the mind of 
Stephen Girard, that he was impelled by the natural enterprise of his vigor- 
ous spirit, to quit the parental roof, and to launch himself at once into the 
boundless ocean of life, to taste its bitterest waters, or reach in safety its most 
secure harbour. 

At the age of twelve, or fourteen, he is supposed to have left Bordeaux, in 
the capacity of a cabin boy, in a vessel bound to some port in the West Indies; 
where he is supposed to have remained, trading in that station, between the 
different islands, and to the United States, until he attained to the situation of 
mate ; in which capacity he first arrived in this country, at the port of New 

3 



York. How long he remained in that city, we are not informed. His arrival 
at New York was probably about the year 1775. 

From New York he removed into New Jersey, and was for some time 
settled at Mount Holly, when the American army was stationed in that vicinity. 
He here kept a small store, and manufactured segars ; a trade that he had 
probably acquired in some of the West India Islands. 

Mr. Girard settled in Philadelphia about the year 1779. In 1783, he 
inhabited a small frame tenement on the site of that elegant brick mansion in 
which he died ; to which were annexed a range of two storied wooden stores. 
At this period, his commerce was confined to old iron and old rigging. He 
then had no ship or vessel of any description. He was a poor man — obscure, 
little known, and less noticed. 

Mr. Girard, like all men of wealth, commenced the world with " small 
beginnings." At first a cabin boy ; then mate of a small schooner ; afterwards 
a shop keeper, selling segars and groceries ; then keeper of a small store in 
Water street, Philadelphia, where he bottled claret, and continued his manu- 
facture of segars — Stephen Girard successively rose to the rank of the first 
merchant, and the most opulent banker in the country ; stimulated by never 
tiring industry, and unremitting in his efforts to attain an independency. 
Though long poor, and unsuccessful in trade, his motto, " industry and fru- 
gality," at last triumphed. With Mr. Girard, business was a passion ; and 
like all who devote themselves with enthusiasm to any pursuit, and who are 
gifted with genius for their profession, he finally succeeded in realizing a for- 
tune, without example in the history of trade, when the forlorn and destitute 
condition of his early life is taken into consideration. By what degrees he 
increased his property, cannot yet be known ; and is not material to our proper 
estimation of his character. " By their fruits shall ye know them." Mr. Girard 
realized his millions from commerce — and his nights as well as days were 
devoted to the sorcery of the " Water Witch." At the time of his demise, his 
fortune is estimated to have amounted to the sum of from twelve to fifteen 
millions of dollars. 

Mr. Girard has left several relations, who reside in Bordeaux, and this city. 
His brother and sister are still living in the former place ; and he has two very 
accomplished nieces married in Philadelphia ; one to John Hemphill, Esq., 
and another to Dr. J. Y. Clark j both gentlemen of opulence and respecta- 
bility. A third niece also resides with Mrs. Clark, extremely amiable and very 
accomplished. He is also said to have left several nephews, whose education 
he was careful to promote. 

No man has been more remarkable for his active personal philanthropy, 
than Mr. Girard ; especially amidst those horrid scenes of devastating pestilence 
that depopulated and scourged our city, under the name of yellow fever. In 
1793, more particularly, Mr. Girard was eminently distinguished for his active 
exertions, in ministering to the sick, and devising plans for the prevention and 



restriction of contagion. In this laudable, but perilous and appalling work, 
Mr. Girard had but few colleagues, and of those few, but one now survives, 
in the person of Matthew Carey, Es-q., alike distinguished for his usefulness, 
and who has paid a just tribute of applause to the exemplary labours of Mr. 
Girard, in that eventful crisis. 

Perhaps the first business Mr. Girard engaged in, upon his coming to Phila- 
delphia, was that of an aquatic pedlar, up and down the borders of the Delaware, 
as far as Trenton — supplying the neighbouring farmers with groceries, and 
ready made clothing, for money or produce. This trade he prosecuted in a 
small sail boat ; returning every fortnight or three weeks, for a fresh supply. 
The acquaintances he had contracted with the farmers whilst keeping store at 
Mount Holly, had no doubt suggested, as it afterwards facilitated, this exchange 
of products. 

It was long before Mr. Girard grew rich ; for no man accumulates immense 
wealth by sudden means. Industry is tardy and progressive in her gains, and 
even speculation, when most favourable, is counterbalanced by adverse chances, 
that often subtract from the harvest of good fortune. Mr. Girard was occupied 
in commerce, when it made fortunes for all its votaries — but when the " Water 
Witch" turned her smiles from trade, he wisely directed the greater portion of 
his immense capital into other and more secure, but less profitable channels : 
and thus continued to reap a moderate, but certain harvest, at a time, when 
others were losing even their seed-grain. 

Immediately prior to the expiration of the charter of the old Bank of the 
United States in 1810 and 11, Mr. Girard, upon consultation with George 
Simpson, Esq., who calculated on the renewal of the charter, had instructed 
the Messrs. Barings, of London, to purchase for him a large amount of the 
stock of the Bank of the United States, which they accordingly did, to the 
nett value of one million eight hundred thousand dollars, under the expecta- 
tion of the renewal of the charter, and a consequent realization of immense 
profits. Disappointed in this object, he determined to establish a private Bank, 
under the superintendence of the late George Simpson, the Cashier of that 
Institution ; to whom he chiefly confided its transactions ; contenting himself 
with the mere approval of its discounting transactions. This was in 1812, 
since which the capital of the Bank has augmented to Five Millions. 

A more useful and liberal application of his surplus capital, to the wants of 
the mercantile community, at that peculiar crisis, and at the common rate of 
interest, could not well have been imagined. His bank, conducted on liberal 
principles, realized profit to himself and immense facilities to the public. The 
capital of the old Bank of the United States had then just been abstracted 
from circulation, and Mr. Girard's two millions went far to arrest bankrupt- 
cies, ease the money market, and restore public confidence and credit to their 
wonted elasticity. 

Mr. Girard became a very heavy subscriber to the present Bank of the 



United States ; in the management of which, he was for many years active 
and efficient; always on the side of sound principles, and firmly opposed to 
its measures during the era of the speculation in its stock. At the time of its 
institution, he had government deposits to the amount of One Million in his 
Bank, which was paid into the vaults of the new institution with great rapidity, 
and so efficiently in the form of specie, as to contribute essentially to the restora- 
tion of the currency to its ancient metallic soundness. In a very short time, 
he brought the Bank of the United States into his debt, and with few excep- 
tions, ever after kept it so. Few of the monied institutions of the country, 
could have accomplished as much as this opulent banker, to aid the government 
in producing the resumption of specie payments. 

Although opposed to the system of speculation in the stock of the Bank 
of the United States, Mr. Girard could not fail to profit by the public delirium 
that it had excited. By the stock he sold out at that period, he gained a clear 
half million of dollars, when it commanded 150 to 160 advance ; still retain- 
ing a share in the stock greater than that of any other individual in the country. 

The loan of Five Millions was taken by Mr. Girard, of the government, 
in the darkest hour of the last war ; and when trembling at the brink — or, 
rather floundering in the gulf of bankruptcy and discredit. The temptation 
of great profit was certainly powerful, to receive 100 seven per cent, stock 
for 70 ! But on the other hand, the risk of loss appeared great — public credit 
had expired, and the hopes of the stoutest hearts began to wither. It was an 
hour that " tried men's souls," and locked up the capital of the country in the 
vaults of fear and suspicion. Great as was the temptation of profit, few were 
found willing to put their capital in jeopardy, under the frowning aspect of the 
times ; when the Union was hanging by a single hair, and the country every 
day falling into the hands of the enemy. 

The habits of Mr. Girard were exclusively those of the man of business. He 
had no pleasures, but in the performance of active duties : always to be found 
busy in his counting room, or bustling on his farm, for he was also fond of 
agriculture ; feeding his own cattle, curing his own beef, and even bestowing 
his attention on the culture of a vegetable garden, the produce of which ho 
caused to be taken to market. His fruits and his flowers were also of the' 
most choice kind. But in his hands, for his was the touch of Midas, every 
thing was turned into gold ; and fruits, flowers, vegetables, ships, houses, lots, 
bank, and all, contributed in the end, to pour millions in his lap. Like all men 
of immense wealth, it was his peculiar delight, to cast his eyes over the aggre- 
gate of his millions. But he took most pleasure in adding house to house, lot 
to lot, until he could count his squares of buildings, and found it impossible to 
count the number of his deeds, parchments, and warrants. To the Schuylkill 
Navigation Company, he was an efficient friend, in the hour of need — as well 
as to the Chesapeake Canal Company, and other public works of vast import- 
ance, and lasting utility. In the arduous struggle of the Bank of the United 



States to resume species payments, Mr. Girard, under the counsels and influence 
of his cashier, Mr. Simpson, was essentially instrumental in producing that 
result ; as well as interposing his voice to reclaim the Bank from the gulf of 
speculation, and place it on a proper basis ; for which he offered to the Bank 
of the United States all his capital, specie, &c, if they would appoint George 
Simpson, Cashier, and conduct it on his legitimate principles. 

Mr. Girard has no children to mourn his demise — but the whole community 
will feel his sudden departure, and our city long have cause to deplore his exit 
to the world of spirits. 

In one sense, and in the best sense, Mr. Girard may be justly called a 
public benefactor ; not less for the public improvements he projected and 
accomplished during his lifetime, which were unequalled by those of any other 
individual — than for the beneficent public objects, for which he has bequeathed 
the chief part of his fortune. Even at the time of his death, his operations as 
a Merchant were very extensive ; and the commerce of Philadelphia will long 
deplore the abstraction of his capital from its business. 

The great public benefactions made by the will of Stephen Girard, 
which we here annex, and which cannot fail to excite the interest and curiosity 
of every rational mind — proclaim him as one of the first philanthropists of 
the age ; and however individual selfishness among his friends or his kinsmen, 
might regret the direction his immense fortune has taken — but which we believe 
is not the case — yet an enlightened benevolence will rejoice, that his great 
wealth has been devised, with unparalleled patriotism and public spirit, for the 
benefit of the community ; and not the gratification of private passions, or 
individual avarice. 

His liberal endowments for the purposes of education, would alone shed 
lustre on his name, and insure him an immortality in the hearts of all future 
generations. To enlighten the mind of the people, is to improve their virtue 
and extend their usefulness, not less than their happiness, comfort, and freedom. 

Mr. Girard's understanding in point of intellectual power, was certainly one 
of the first order. He thought much, and thought profoundly — but as is 
often the case with the strongest minds, his train of reflection was frequently 
apt to describe an eccentric orbit. Yet in the ordinary affairs of business, he 
was, for that very reason, more correct, or if you please, more fortunate than 
the regular right angled speculators of the day. His principal trait of mind, 
was anticipation. He had digested topics, when others were only begin- 
ning to think of them ; and the common observer was often astonished to find, 
that what he thought he was communicating as news to Mr. Girard, was a 
matter quite familiar to him; and that on the strength of it, he was already 
employed in loading a ship, or prosecuting a speculation. 

Mr. Girard, in his person, was of stout frame, about five feet six inches in 
height. His manners were plain ; and in conversation he was taciturn, except 
on business, and being generally engaged by his numerous avocations, he was 



8 

impatient of all conversation, except what related to his pursuits on hand. In 
his mode of living he was plain, simple, and void of ostentation. The routine 
of high life, never had charms to withdraw him from his early habits of simpli- 
city, even in the zenith of his fortune. His recreation was business — he 
knew no other pleasure, and labour to him was delight. He was particularly 
fond of working on his farm; and he out-worked all the labourers he 
employed. At the very close of life, he allowed himself no respite from busi- 
ness ; never dreamed of retiring ; but in the words of our great dramatic poet, 
adapted to his civil pursuits, he may be said to have " died with harness on 
his back." 



THE WILL 



OF THE LATE 



STEPHEN GIRARD, ESQ. 



I, Stephen Girard, of the City of Philadelphia, in the Commonweath 
of Pennsylvania, Mariner and Merchant, being of sound mind, memory 
and understanding, do make and publish this my. last Will and Testa- 
ment, in manner following : that is to say — 

I. I give and bequeath unto " The Contributors to the Pennsylvania 
Hospital," of which Corporation I am a member, the sum of Thirty 
Thousand Dollars, upon the following conditions, namely, that the 
said sum shall be added to their Capital, and shall remain a part thereof 
for ever, to be placed at interest, and the interest thereof to be applied, 
in the first place, to pay to my black woman Hannah, (to whom I hereby 
give her freedom,) the sum of two hundred dollars per year, in quarterly 
payments of fifty dollars each in advance, during all the term of her life ; 
and, in the second place, the said interest to be applied to the use and 
accommodation of the sick in the said Hospital, and for providing, and 
at all times having competent matrons, and a sufficient number of nurses 
and assistant nurses, in order not only to promote the purposes of the 
said Hospital, but, to. increase this last class of useful persons much 
wanted in our city. 

II. I give and bequeath to "The Pennsylvania Institution for the 
Deaf and Dumb," the sum of Twenty Thousand Dollars, for the use of 
that Institution. 

III. I give and bequeath to "The Orphan Asylum of Philadelphia," 
the sum of Ten Thousand Dollars, for the use of that Institution. 

IV. I give and bequeath to " The Comptrollers of the Public Schools 
for the City and County of Philadelphia," the sum of Ten Thousand 
Dollars, for the use of the Schools upon the Lancaster system, in the 
first section of the first school district of Pennsylvania. 

V. I give and bequeath to " The Mayor, Aldermen and Citizens of 
Philadelphia," the sum of Ten Thousand Dollars, in trust safely to 
invest the same in some productive fund, and with the interest and 
dividends arising therefrom to purchase fuel between the months of 

2 9 



10 

March and August in every year for ever, and in the month of January 
in every year for ever, distribute the same amongst poor white house- 
keepers and room-keepers, of good character, residing in the city of 
Philadelphia. 

VI. I give and bequeath to the Society for the Relief of poor and 
distressed Masters of Ships, their Widows and Children, (of which 
Society I am a member,) the sum of Ten Thousand Dollars, to be added 
to their Capital stock, for the uses and purposes of said Society. 

VII. I give and bequeath to the gentlemen who shall be Trustees of 
the Masonic Loan, at the time of my decease, the sum of Twenty Thou- 
sand Dollars, including therein ten thousand and nine hundred dollars 
due to me, part of the Masonic Loan, and any interest that may be due 
thereon at the time of my decease, in trust for the use and benefit of 
" The Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, and Masonic Jurisdiction thereto 
belonging," and to be paid over by the said Trustees to the said Grand 
Lodge, for the purpose of being invested in some safe stock or funds, or 
other good security, and the dividends and interest arising therefrom to 
be again so invested and added to the Capital, without applying any 
part thereof to any other purpose, until the whole capital shall amount to 
thirty thousand dollars, when the same shall for ever after remain a 
permanent fund or Capital, of the said amount of thirty thousand dollars, 
the interest whereof shall be applied from time to time to the relief of 
poor and respectable brethren ; and in order that the real and benevolent 
purposes of masonic institutions may be attained, I recommend to the 
several lodges not to admit to membership, or to receive members from 
other lodges unless the applicants shall absolutely be men of sound and 
good morals. 

VIII. I give and bequeath unto Philip Peltz, Jolin Lentz, Francis 
Hesley, Jacob Baker and Adam Young, of Passyunk township, in the 
County of Philadelphia, the sum of Six Thousand Dollars, in trust, that 
they or the survivors or survivor of them shall purchase a suitable piece 
of ground, as near as may be in the centre of said township, and thereon 
erect a substantial brick building, sufficiently large for a school-house, 
and the residence of a school-master, one part thereof for poor male white 
children, and the other part for poor female white children of said town- 
ship ; and as soon as the said school-house shall have been built, that 
they the said trustees or the survivors or survivor of them, shall convey 
the said piece of ground and house thereon erected, and shall pay over 
such balance of said sum as may remain unexpended to any board of 
directors and their successors in trust, which may at the time exist or be 
by law constituted, consisting of at least twelve discreet inhabitants of 
the said township, and to be annually chosen by the inhabitants thereof; 
the said piece of ground and house to be carefully maintained by said 




ONE OF GIRARD'S SHIPS. 



11 

- 

directors and their successors solely for the purposes of a school as afore- 
said for ever, and the said balance to be securely invested as a permanent 
fund, the interest thereof to be applied from time to time towards the 
education in the said school of any number of such poor white children 
of said township ; and I do hereby recommend to the citizens of said 
township to make additions to the fund whereof I have laid the foundation. 

IX. I give and devise my house and lot of ground thereto belonging, 
situate in rue Ramouet aux Chartrons, near the city of Bordeaux, in 
France, and the rents, issues, and profits thereof, to my brother, Etienne 
Girard, and my niece Victoire Fenellon, (daughter of my late sister 
Sophia Girard Capayron,) (both residing in France,) in equal moieties for 
the life of my said brother, and, on his decease, one moiety of the said 
house and lot to my said niece Victoire, and her heirs forever, and the 
other moiety to the six children of my said brother, namely, John Fabri- 
cius, Marguerite, Ann Henriette, Jean August, Marie, and Madelaine 
Henriette, share and share alike, (the issue of any deceased child, if 
more than one, to take amongst them the parent's share,) and their heirs 
forever. 

X. I give and bequeath to my said brother, Etienne Girard, the sum 
of Five Thousand Dollars, and the like sum of Five Thousand Dollars 
to each of his six children above named : if any of the said children 
shall die prior to the receipt of his or her legacy of five thousand dollars, 
the said sum shall be paid, and I give and bequeath the same to any 
issue of such deceased child, if more than one, share and share alike. 

XI. I give and bequeath to my said niece, Victoire Fenellon, the 
sum of Five Thousand Dollars. 

XII. I give and bequeath absolutely to my niece, Antoinetta, now 
married to Mr. Hemphill, the sum of Ten Thousand Dollars, and I also 
give and bequeath to her the sum of Fifty Thousand Dollars, to be paid 
over to a trustee or trustees to be appointed by my executors, which 
trustee or trustees shall place and continue the said sum of fifty thousand 
dollars upon good security, and pay the interest and dividends thereof 
as they shall from time to time accrue, to my said niece for her separate 
use, during the term of her life, and from and immediately after her 
decease, to pay and distribute the capital to and among such of her 
children and the issue of deceased children, and in such parts and shares 
as she the said Antoinetta, by any instrument under her hand and seal, 
executed in the presence of at least two credible witnesses, shall direct 
and appoint, and for default of such appointment, then to and among 
the said children and issue of deceased children in equal shares, such 
issue of deceased children, if more than one, to take only the share which 
their deceased parent would have taken if living. 

XIII. I give and bequeath unto my niece, Carolina, now married to 



12 

Mr. Haslam, the sum of Ten Thousand Dollars, to be paid over to a 
trustee or trustees to be appointed by my executors, which trustee or 
trustees shall place and continue the said money upon good security, and 
pay the interest and dividends thereof from time to time as they shall 
accrue, to my said niece, for her separate use, during the termbf her 
life ; and from and immediately after her decease, to pay and distribute 
the capital to and among such of her children and issue of deceased 
children, and in such parts and shares, as she the said Carolina, by any 
instrument under her hand and seal, executed in the presence of at least 
two credible witnesses, shall direct and appoint, and for default of such 
appointment, then to and among the said children, and issue of deceased 
children, in equal shares, such issue of deceased children, if more than 
one, to take only the share which the deceased parent would have taken 
if living ; but if my said niece, Carolina, shall leave no issue, then the 
said trustee or trustees on her decease, shall pay the said capital and any 
interest accrued thereon, to and among Caroline Lallemand, (niece of the 
said Carolina,) and the children of the aforesaid Antoinetta Hemphill, 
share and share alike. 

XIV. I give and bequeath to my niece Henrietta, now married to Dr. 
Clark, the sum of Ten Thousand Dollars ; and I give and bequeath to 
her daughter Caroline, (in the last clause above named,) the sum of 
Twenty Thousand Dollars — the interest of the said sum of twenty thou- 
sand dollars, or so much thereof as may be necessary, to be applied to 
the maintenance and education of the said Caroline during her minority, 
and the principal with any accumulated interest, to be paid to the said 
Caroline, on her arrival at the age of twenty-one years. 

XV. Unto each of the Captains who shall be in my employment at the 
time of my decease, either in port, or at sea, having charge of one of my 
ships or vessels, and having performed at least two voyages in my ser- 
vice, I give and bequeath the sum of Fifteen Hundred Dollars — provided 
he shall have brought safely into the port of Philadelphia, or if at sea at 
the time of my decease, shall bring safely into that port, my ship or vessel 
last entrusted to him, and also that his conduct during the last voyage 
shall have been in every respect conformable to my instructions to him. 

XVI. All persons, who, at the time of my decease, shall be bound 
to me by indenture, as apprentices or servants, and who shall then be 
under age, I direct my executors to assign to suitable masters imme- 
diately after my decease, for the remainder of their respective terms, on 
conditions as favourable as they can in regard to education, clothing 
and freedom dues ; to each of the said persons in my service and under 
age at the time of my decease, I give and bequeath the sum of Five 
Hundred Dollars, which sums respectively I direct my executors safely 
to invest in public stock, to apply the interest and dividends thereof, 



13 

towards the education of the several apprentices or servants, for whom 
the capital is given respectively, and at the termination of the apprentice- 
ship or service of each, to pay to him or her the said sum of five hundred 
dollars and any interest accrued thereon, if any such interest shall remain 
unexpended ; in assigning any indenture, preference shall be given to the 
mother, father, or next relation, as assignee, should such mother, father, 
or relative desire it, and be at the same time respectable and competent. 

XVII. I give and bequeath to Francis Hesley (son of Mrs. S. Hesley, 
who is mother of Marianne Hesley,) the sum of One Thousand Dollars, 
over and above such sum as may be due to him at my decease. 

XVIII. I charge my real estate in the State of Pennsylvania with the 
payment of the several annuities or sums following, (the said annuities 
to be paid by the Treasurer or other proper officer of the City of Phila- 
delphia, appointed by the Corporation thereof for the purpose, out of the 
rents and profits of said real estate hereinafter directed to be kept con- 
stantly rented,) namely: — 

1st. I give and bequeath to Mrs. Elizabeth Ingersoll, Widow of Jared 
Ingersoll, Esq., late of the City of Philadelphia, Counsellor at Law, an 
annuity, or yearly sum of One Thousand Dollars, to be paid in half-yearly 
payments, in advance, of five hundred dollars each, during her life. 

2d. I give and bequeath to Mrs. Catharine Girard, now widow of Mr. 
J. B. Hoskins, who died in the Isle of France, an annuity, or yearly sum 
of Four Hundred Dollars, to be paid in half-yearly payments, in advance, 
of two hundred dol]ars each, during her life. 

3d. I give and bequeath to Mrs. Jane Taylor, my present house- 
keeper, (the widow of the late Captain Alexander Taylor, who was 
master of my ship Helvetius, and died in my employment,) an annuity, 
or yearly sum of Five Hundred Dollars, to be paid in half-yearly payments, 
in advance, of two hundred and fifty dollars each, during her life. 

4th. I give and bequeath to Mrs. S. Hesley, my housekeeper at my 
place in Passyunk Township, an annuity, or yearly sum of Five Hundred 
Dollars, to be paid in half-yearly payments, in advance, of two hundred 
and fifty dollars each, during her life. 

5th. I give and bequeath to Marianne Hesley, daughter of Mrs. S. 
Hesley, an annuity, or yearly sum of Three Hundred Dollars, to be paid 
to her mother, for her use, in half-yearly payments, in advance, of one 
hundred and fifty dollars each, until the said Marianne shall have attained 
the age of twenty-one years, when the said annuity shall cease, and the 
said Marianne will receive the five hundred dollars given to her and 
other indented persons, according to clause XVI. of this will. 

6th. I give and bequeath to my late housekeeper, Mary Kenton, an 
annuity, or yearly sum of Three Hundred Dollars, to be paid in half- 

6 



14 

yearly payments, in advance, of one hundred and fifty dollars each, 
during her life. 

7th. I give and bequeath to Mrs. Deborah Scott, sister of Mary 
Kenton, and wife of Mr. Edwin T. Scott, an annuity, or yearly sum of 
Three Hundred Dollars, to be paid in half-yearly payments, in advance, 
of one hundred and fifty dollars each, during her life. 

8th. I give and bequeath to Mrs. Catharine M'Laren, sister of Mary 
Kenton, and wife of Mr. M. M'Laren, an annuity, or yearly sum of 
Three Hundred Dollars, to be paid in half-yearly payments, in advance, 
of one hundred and fifty dollars each, during her life. 

9th. I give and bequeath to Mrs. Amelia G. Taylor, wife of Mr. 
Richard M. Taylor, an annuity, or yearly sum of Three Hundred Dollars, 
to be paid in half-yearly payments, in advance, of one hundred and fifty 
dollars each, during her life. 

XIX. All that part of my real and personal estate, near Washita, in 
the State of Louisiana, the said real estate consisting of upwards of two 
hundred and eight thousand arpens, or acres of land, and including 
therein the settlement hereinafter mentioned, I give, devise, and bequeath, 
as follows, namely: 1. I give, devise and bequeath to the Corporation 
of the City of New Orleans, their successors and assigns, all that part of 
my real estate, constituting the settlement formed on my behalf by my 
particular friend, Judge Henry Bree, of Washita, consisting of upwards 
of one thousand arpens, or acres of land, with the appurtenances and 
improvements thereon, and also all the personal estate thereto belonging, 
and thereon remaining, including upwards of thirty slaves now on said 
settlement, and their increase, in trust, however, and subject to the 
following reservations : 

I desire, that no part of the said estate or property, or the slaves there- 
on, or their increase, shall be disposed of or sold for the term of twenty 
years from and after my decease, should the said Judge Henry Bree 
survive me and live so long, but that the said settlement shall be kept 
up by the said Judge Henry Bree, for and during said term of twenty 
years, as if it was his own ; that is, it shall remain under his sole care 
and control, he shall improve the same by raising such produce as he 
may deem most advisable, and, after paying taxes, and all expenses in 
keeping up the settlement, by clothing the slaves and otherwise, he shall 
have and enjoy for his own use all the nett profits of said settlement. 
Provided, however, and I desire that the said Judge Henry Bree shall 
render annually to the Corporation of the City of New Orleans, a report 
of the state of the settlement, the income and expenditure thereof, the 
number and increase of the slaves, and the nett result of the whole. I 
desire that, at the expiration of the said term of twenty years, or on the 



15 

decease of the said Judge Henry Bree, should he not live so long, the 
land and improvements forming said settlement, the slaves thereon, or 
thereto belonging, and all other appurtenant personal property, shall be 
sold, as soon as the said Corporation shall deem it advisable to do so, 
and the proceeds of the said sale or sales shall be applied by the said 
Corporation to such uses and purposes as they shall consider most 
likely to promote the health and general prosperity of the inhabitants of 
the City of New Orleans. But, until the said sale shall be made, the 
said Corporation shall pay all taxes, prevent waste or intrusion, and so 
manage the said settlement and the slaves, and their increase thereon, as 
to derive an income, and the said income shall be applied from time to 
time, to the same uses and purposes for the health and general prosperity 
of the said inhabitants. 

2. I give, devise, and bequeath to the Mayor, Aldermen, and Citizens 
of Philadelphia, their successors and assigns, two undivided third parts 
of all the rest and residue of my said real estate, being the lands unim- 
proved near Washita, in the said State of Louisiana, in trust, that, in 
common with the Corporation of the City of New Orleans, they shall pay 
the taxes on the said lands, and preserve them from waste or intrusion, 
for the term of ten years from and after my decease, and, at the end of 
the said term, when they shall deem it advisable to do so, shall sell and 
dispose of their interest in said lands gradually from time to time, and 
apply the proceeds of such sales to the same uses and purposes herein- 
after declared and directed, of and concerning the residue of my personal 
estate. 

3. And I give, devise, and bequeath to the Corporation of the City 
of New Orleans, their successors and assigns, the remaining one undi- 
vided third part of the said lands, in trust, in common with the Mayor, 
Aldermen, and Citizens of Philadelphia, to pay the taxes on the said 
lands, and preserve them from waste and intrusion, for the term of ten 
years from and after my decease, and, at the end of the said term when 
they shall deem it advisable to do so, to sell and dispose of their interest 
in said lands gradually from time to time, and to apply the proceeds of 
such sales to such uses and purposes as the said Corporation may consider 
most likely to promote the health and general prosperity of the inhabit- 
ants of the City of New Orleans. 

XX. And whereas, I have been for a long time impressed with the 
importance of educating the poor, and of placing them by the early 
cultivation of their minds and the development of their moral principles 
above the many temptations, to which, through poverty and ignorance 
they are exposed ; and I am particularly desirous to provide for such a 
number of poor male white orphan children, as can be trained in cne 



16 

institution, a better education, as well as a more comfortable maintenance 
than they usually receive from the application of the public funds: And 
whereas, together with the object just adverted to, I have sincerely at 
heart the welfare of the City of Philadelphia, and, as a part of it, am 
desirous to improve the neighbourhood of the river Delaware, so that 
the health of the citizens may be promoted and preserved, and that the 
eastern part of the city may be made to correspond better with the in- 
terior : Now, I do give, devise and bequeath all the residue and 
remainder of my Real and Personal Estate of every sort and kind where- 
soever situate, (the real estate in Pennsylvania charged as aforesaid) 
unto " the Mayor, Aldermen and Citizens of Philadelphia," their suc- 
cessors and assigns, in trust, to and for the several uses, intents, and 
purposes hereinafter mentioned and declared of and concerning the 
same, that is to say : So far as regards my real estate in Pennsylvania, 
in trust, that no part thereof shall ever be sold or alienated by the said 
the Mayor, Aldermen and Citizens of Philadelphia, or their successors, 
but the same shall for ever thereafter be let from time to time, to good 
tenants, at yearly, or other rents, and upon leases in possession not ex- 
ceeding five years from the commencement thereof, and that the rents, 
issues, and profits arising therefrom shall be applied towards keeping 
that part of the said real estate situate in the city and liberties of Phila- 
delphia constantly in good repair, (parts elsewhere situate to be kept in 
repair by the tenants thereof respectively,) and towards improving the 
same, whenever necessary, by erecting new buildings, and that the nett 
residue (after paying the several annuities herein before provided for) 
be applied to the same uses and purposes as are herein declared of and 
concerning the residue of my personal estate : And so far as regards my 
real estate in Kentucky, now under the care of Messrs. Triplett and 
Burmley, in trust, to sell and dispose of the same, whenever it may be 
expedient to do so, and to apply the proceeds of such sale to the same 
uses and purposes as are herein declared of and concerning the residue 
of my personal estate. 

XXI. And so far as regards the residue of my personal estate, in 
trust, as to Two Millions of Dollars, part thereof,* to apply and expend 
so much of that sum as may be necessary — in erecting, as soon as prac- 
ticably may be, in the centre of my square of ground between High 
and Chesnut Streets, and Eleventh and Twelfth Streets, in the City of 
Philadelphia, (which square of ground I hereby devote for the purposes 
hereinafter stated, and for no other, forever,) a permanent college, with 
suitable out-buildings, sufficiently spacious for the residence and accom- 
modation of at least three hundred scholars, and the requisite teachers 
and other persons necessary in such an institution as I direct to be 

* See Codicil, p. 20. 



17 

established : and in supplying the said college and out-buildings with 
decent and suitable furniture, as well as books and all things needful 
to carry into effect my general design. 

The said college shall be constructed with the most durable materials, 
and in the most permanent manner, avoiding needless ornament, and 
attending chiefly to the strength, convenience, and neatness of the whole : 
It shall be at least one hundred and ten feet east and west, and one 
hundred and sixty feet north and south, and shall be built on lines 
parallel with High and Chesnut Streets and Eleventh and Twelfth 
Streets, provided those lines shall constitute at their junction right angles : 
It shall be three stories in height, each story at least fifteen feet high in 
the clear from the floor to the cornice: It shall be fire-proof inside and 
outside. The floors and the roof to be formed of solid materials, on 
arches turned on proper centres, so that no wood may be used, except 
for doors, windows and shutters : Cellars shall be made under the whole 
building, solely for the purposes of the institution ; the doors to them 
from the outside shall be on the east and west of the building, and access 
to them from the inside shall be had by steps, descending to the cellar 
floor from each of the entries or halls hereinafter mentioned, and the in- 
side cellar doors to open under the stairs on the north-east and north- 
west corners of the northern entry, and under the stairs on the south-east 
and south-west corners of the southern entry ; there should be a cellar 
window under and in a line with each window in the first story — they 
should be built one half below, the other half above the surface of the 
ground, and the ground outside each window should be supported by 
stout walls; the sashes should open inside, on hinges, like doors, and 
there should be strong iron bars outside each window ; the windows 
inside and outside should not be less than four feet wide in the clear: 
There shall be in each story four rooms, each room not less than fifty 
feet square in the clear ; the four rooms on each floor to occupy the 
whole space east and west on such floor or story, and the middle of the 
building north and south ; so that in the north of the building, and in the 
south thereof, there may remain a space of equal dimensions, for an 
entry or hall in each, for stairs and landings: In the north-east and in 
the north-west corners of the northern entry or hall on the first floor, 
stairs shall be made so as to form a double stair-case, which shall be 
carried up through the several stories; and, in like manner, in the south- 
east and south-west corners of the southern entry or hall, stairs shall be 
made, on the first floor, so as to form a double stair-case, to be carried 
up through the several stories; the steps of the stairs to be made of 
smooth white marble, with plain square edges, each step not to exceed 
nine inches in the rise, nor to be less than ten inches in the tread ; the 
outside and inside foundation walls shall be at least ten feet high in the 



18 

clear from the ground to the ceiling; the first floor shall be at least three 
feet above the level of the ground around the building, after that ground 
shall have been so regulated as that there shall be a gradual descent 
from the centre to the sides of the square formed by High and Chesnut 
and Eleventh and Twelfth Streets : all the outside foundation walls, 
forming the cellars, shall be three feet six inches thick up to the first 
floor, or as high as may be necessary to fix the centres for the first floor ; 
and the inside foundation wall, running north and south, and the three 
inside foundation walls running east and west (intended to receive the 
interior walls for the four rooms, each not less than fifty feet square in 
the clear, above mentioned), shall be three feet thick up to the first floor, 
or as high as may be necessary to fix the centres for the first floor when 
carried so far up, the outside walls shall be reduced to two feet in thick- 
ness, leaving a recess outside of one foot, and inside of six inches — 
and w : hen carried so far up, the inside foundation walls shall also be re- 
duced, six inches on each side, to the thickness of two feet ; centres shaU 
then be fixed on the various recesses of six inches throughout, left for 
the purpose, the proper arches shall be turned, and the first floor laid; 
the outside and the inside walls shall then be carried up of the thickness 
of two feet throughout, as high as may be necessary to begin the recess 
intended to fix the centres for the second floor, that is, the floor for the 
four rooms, each not less than fifty feet square in the clear, and for the 
landing in the north, and the landing in the south of the building, where 
the stairs are to go up — at this stage of the work, a chain, composed of 
bars of inch square iron, each bar about ten feet long, and linked together 
by hooks formed of the ends of the bars, shall be laid straightly and 
horizontally along the several walls, and shall be as tightly as possible, 
worked into the centre of them throughout, and shall be secured where- 
ever necessary, especially at all the angles, by iron clamps solidly 
fastened, so as to prevent cracking or sw T erving in any part ; centres 
shall then be laid, the proper arches turned for the second floor and 
landings, and the second floor and landings shall be laid ; the outside 
and the inside walls shall then be carried up of the same thickness of 
two feet throughout as high as may be necessary to begin in the recess 
intended to fix the centres for the third floor and landings, and, when 
so far carried up, another chain similar in all respects to that used at the 
second story, shall be in like manner worked into the walls throughout 
as tightly as possible, and clamped in the same way with equal care ; 
centres shall be formed, the proper arches turned, and the third floor and 
landings shall be laid : the outside and the inside walls shall then be 
carried up, of the same thickness of two feet throughout, as high as may 
be necessary to begin the recess intended to fix the centres for the roof; 
and, when so carried up, a third chain, in all respects like those used 



19 

at the second and third stories, shall in the manner before described, be 
worked as tightly as possible into the walls throughout, and shall be 
clamped with equal care ; centres shall now be fixed in the manner best 
adapted for the roof, which is to form the ceiling for the third story, the 
proper arches shall be turned, and the roof shall be laid as nearly hori- 
zontally as may be, consistently with the easy passage of water to the 
eaves: the outside walls still of the thickness of two feet throughout, 
shall then be carried up about two feet above the level of the platform, 
and shall have marble capping, with a strong and neat iron railing 
thereon : The outside walls shall be faced with slabs or blocks of marble 
or granite, not less than two feet thick, and fastened together with 
clamps securely sunk therein, — they shall be carried up flush from the 
recess of one foot formed at the first floor where the foundation outside 
wall is reduced to two feet : The floors and landings as well as the roof 
shall be covered with marble slabs, securely laid in mortar ; the slabs on 
the roof to be twice as thick as those on the floors. In constructing the 
walls, as well as in turning the arches, and laying the floors, landings, 
and roof, good and strong mortar and grout shall- be used, so that no 
cavity whatever may any where remain. A furnace or furnaces for the 
generation of heated air shall be placed in the cellar, and the heated air 
shall be introduced in adequate quantity wherever wanted by means of 
pipes and flues inserted and made for the purpose in the walls, and as 
those walls shall be constructed. In case it shall be found expedient 
for the purposes of a library, or otherwise, to increase the number of 
rooms, by dividing any of those directed to be not less than fity feet 
square in the clear, into parts, the partition walls to be of solid materials. 
A room most suitable for the purpose, shall be set apart for the reception 
and preservation of my books and papers, and I direct that they shall be 
placed there by my executors, and carefully preserved therein. There 
shall be two principal doors of entrance into the college, one into the 
entry or hall on the first floor, in the north of the building, and in the 
centre between the east and west walls, the other into the entry or hall 
in the south of the building, and in the centre between the east and west 
walls ; the dimensions to be determined by a due regard to the size of 
the entire building, to that of the entry, and to the purposes of the doors. 
The necessity for, as well as the position and size of, other doors, internal 
or external, and also the position and size of the windows, to be, in like 
manner, decided on by a consideration of the uses to which the building 
is to be applied, the size of the building itself, and of the several rooms, 
and of the advantages of light and air: there should in each instance be 
double doors, those opening into the rooms to be what are termed glass 
doors, so as to increase the quantity of light for each room, and those 
opening outward to be of substantial wood work well lined and secured ; 



20 

the windows of the second and third stories I recommend to be made 
in the style of those in the first and second stories of my present dwell- 
ing-house, North Water Street, on the eastern front thereof; and outside 
each window I recommend that a substantial and neat iron balcony be 
placed, sufficiently wide to admit the opening of the shutters against the 
walls ; the windows of the lower story to be in the same style except 
that they are not to descend to the floor, but so far as the surbase, up 
to which the wall is to be carried, as is the case in the lower story of 
my house at my place in Passyunk Township. In minute particulars, 
not here noticed, utility and good taste should determine. There should 
be at least four out-buildings, detached from the main edifice and from 
each other, and in such positions as shall at once answer the purposes 
of the institution, and be consistent with the symmetry of the whole 
establishment : each building should be, as far as practicable, devoted 
to a distinct purpose ; in that one or more of those buildings, in which 
they may be most useful, I direct my executors to place my plate and 
furniture of every sort. 

The entire square, formed by High and Chesnut Streets, and Eleventh 
and Twelfth Streets, shall be enclosed with a solid wall, at least fourteen 
inches thick, and ten feet high, capped with marble and guarded with 
irons on the top, so as to prevent persons from getting over ; there shall 
be two places of entrance into the square, one in the centre of the wall 
facing High Street, and the other in the centre of the wall facing Chesnut 
Street ; at each place of entrance there shall be two gates, one opening 
inward, and the other outward ; those opening inward to be of iron, and 
in the style of the gates north and south of my Banking house ; and 
those opening outward to be of substantial wood work well lined and 
secured on the faces thereof with sheet iron. The messuages now 
erected on the south-east corner of High and Twelfth Streets, and on 
Twelfth Street, to be taken down and removed as soon as the college 
and out-buildings shall have been erected, so that the establishment 
may be rendered secure and private. 

When the college and appurtenances shall have been constructed, 
and supplied with plain and suitable furniture and books, philosophical 
and experimental instruments and apparatus, and all other matters need- 
ful to carry my general design into execution ; the income, issues and 
profits of so much of the said sum of two millions of dollars as shall re- 
main unexpended, shall be applied to maintain the said college according 
to my directions. 

1. The institution shall be organized as soon as practicable, and to 
accomplish that purpose more effectually, due public notice of the in- 
tended opening of the college shall be given — so that there may be an 
opportunity to make selections of competent instructors, and other agents, 



21 

and those who may have the charge of orphans, may be aware of the 
provisions intended for them. 

2. A competent number of instructors, teachers, assistants, and other 
necessary agents, shall be selected, and when needful, their places from 
time to time supplied : they shall receive adequate compensation for 
their services : but no person shall be employed, who shall not be of 
tried skill in his or her proper department, of established moral character, 
and in all cases persons shall be chosen on account of their merit, and 
not through favour or intrigue. 

3. As many poor white male orphans, between the ages of six and 
ten years, as the said income shall be adequate to maintain, shall be 
introduced into the college as soon as possible ; and from time to time 
as there may be vacancies, or as increased ability from income may 
warrant, others shall be introduced. 

4. On the application for admission, an accurate statement should be 
taken, in a book prepared for the purpose, of the name, birth-place, age, 
health, condition as to relatives, and other particulars useful to be known 
of each orphan. 

5. No orphan should be admitted until the guardians or directors of 
the poor, or a proper guardian or other competent authority, shall have 
given, by indenture, relinquishment, or otherwise, adequate pow T er to 
the Mayor, Aldermen, and Citizens of Philadelphia, or to directors, or 
others by them appointed, to enforce, in relation to each orphan, every 
proper restraint, and to prevent relatives or others from interfering with, 
or withdrawing such orphan from the institution. 

6. Those orphans, for whose admission application shall first be made, 
shall be first introduced, all other things concurring — and at all future 
times, priority of application shall entitle the applicant to preference in 
admission, all other things concurring ; but if there shall be at any 
time, more applicants than vacancies, and the applying orphans shall 
have been born in different places, a preference shall be given— -first, 
to orphans born in the city of Philadelphia ; secondly, to those born in 
any other part of Pennsylvania ; thirdly, to those born in the city of New 
York (that being the first port on the continent of North America at 
which I arrived) ; and lastly, to those born in the city of New Orleans, 
being the first port on the said continent at which I first traded, in the 
first instance as first officer, and subsequently as master and part owner 
of a vessel and cargo. 

7. The orphans admitted into the college, shall be there fed with 
plain but wholesome food, clothed w T ith plain but decent, apparel, (no 
distinctive dress ever to be worn,) and lodged in a plain but safe manner : 
Due regard shall be paid to their health, and to this end their persons 
and clothes shall be kept clean, and they shall have suitable and rational 



22 

exercise and recreation : They shall be instructed in the various branches 
of a sound education, comprehending reading, writing, grammar, arith- 
metic, geography, navigation, surveying, practical mathematics, astro- 
nomy, natural, chemical, and experimental philosophy, the French and 
Spanish languages, (I do not forbid, but I do not recommend the Greek 
and Latin languages)— and such other learning and science as the 
capacities of the several scholars may merit or warrant : I would have 
them taught facts and things, rather than words or signs: And, espe- 
cially, I desire, that by every proper means a pure attachment to our 
republican institutions, and to the sacred rights of conscience, as guaran- 
teed by our happy constitutions, shall be formed and fostered in the 
minds of the scholars. 

8. Should it unfortunately happen, that any of the orphans admitted 
into the college, shall, from mal-conduct, have become unfit companions 
for the rest, and mild means of reformation prove abortive, they should 
no longer remain therein. 

9. Those scholars, who shall merit it, shall remain in the college 
until they shall respectively arrive at between fourteen and eighteen years 
of age ; they shall then be bound out by the Mayor, Aldermen and 
Citizens of Philadelphia, or under their direction, to suitable occupations, 
as those of agriculture, navigation, arts, mechanical trades, and manufac- 
tures, according to the capacities and acquirements of the scholars 
respectively, consulting, as far as prudence shall justify it, the inclinations 
of the several scholars, as to the occupation, art, or trade, to be learned. 

In relation to the organization of the college and its appendages, I 
leave, necessarily, many details to the Mayor, Aldermen and Citizens of 
Philadelphia, and their successors ; and I do so, with the more confidence, 
as, from the, nature of my bequests and the benefit to result from them, 
I trust that my fellow citizens of Philadelphia will observe and evince 
especial care and anxiety in selecting members for their city councils, 
and other agents. • 

There are, however, some restrictions which I consider it my duty to 
prescribe, and to be, amongst others, conditions on which my bequest 
for said college is made and to be enjoyed, namely : first, I enjoin and 
require, that, if, at the close of any year, the income of the fund devoted 
to the purposes of the said college shall be more than sufficient for the 
maintenance of the institution during that year, then the balance of the 
said income, after defraying such maintenance, shall be forthwith invested 
in good securities, thereafter to be and remain a part of the capital ; but, 
in no event, shall any part of the said capital be sold, disposed of, or 
pledged, to meet the current expenses of the said institution, to which I 
devote the interest, income, and dividends thereof, exclusively : Secondly ', 
I enjoin and require that no ecclesiastic, missionary, or minister of any 
9 



23 

sect whatsoever, shall ever hold or exercise any station or duty whatever 
in the said college ; nor shall any such person ever be admitted for any 
purpose , or as a visitor, within the premises appropriated to the purposes 
of the said college: — In making this restriction, I do not mean to cast 
any reflection upon any sect or person whatsoever ; but, as there is such 
a multitude of sects, and such a diversity of opinion amongst them, I 
desire to keep the tender minds of the orphans, who are to derive advan- 
tage from this bequest, free from the excitement which clashing doctrines 
and sectarian controversy are so apt to produce ; my desire is, that all 
the instructors and teachers in the college shall take pains to instil into 
the minds of the scholars, the purest principles of morality, so that, on 
their entrance into active life, they may from inclination and habit, 
evince benevolence towards their fellow creatures, and a love of truth, 
sobriety and industry, adopting at the same time such religious tenets 
as their matured reason may enable them to prefer. — If the income arising 
from that part of the said sum of two millions of dollars remaining after 
the construction and furnishing of the colle,ge and out-buildings, shall, 
owing to the increase of the number of orphans applying for admission, 
or other cause, be inadequate to the construction of new buildings, or 
the maintenance and education of as many orphans as may apply for 
admission, then such further sum as may be necessary for the construction 
of new buildings and the maintenance and education of such further 
number of orphans, as can be maintained and instructed within such 
buildings as the said square of ground shall be adequate to, shall be taken 
from the final residuary fund hereinafter expressly referred to for the 
purpose, comprehending the income of my real estate in the city and 
county of Philadelphia, and the dividends of my stock in the Schuylkill 
Navigation Company — my design and desire being, that the benefits of 
said institution shall be extended to as great a number of orphans as the 
limits of the said square and buildings therein can accommodate. 

XXII. And as to the further sum of Five Hundred Thousand Dollars, 
part of the residue of my personal estate, in trust, to invest the same 
securely, and to keep the same so invested, and to apply the income 
thereof exclusively to the following purposes : that is to say — 

1. To lay out, regulate, curb, light and pave a passage or street, on 
the east part of the city of Philadelphia, fronting the river Delaware, not 
less than twenty-one feet wide, and to be called Delaware Avenue, ex- 
tending from South or Cedar Street, all along the east part of Water 
Street squares, and the west side of the logs, which form the heads of 
the docks, or thereabouts ; and to this intent to obtain such Acts of 
Assembly, and to make such purchases or agreements, as will enable the 
Mayor, Aldermen and Citizens of Philadelphia to remove or pull down 
all the buildings, fences and obstructions which may be in the way, and 



24 

to prohibit all buildings, fences, or erections of any kind to the eastward 
of said Avenue; to fill up the heads of such of the docks as may not 
afford sufficient room for the said street; to compel the owners of 
wharves to keep them clean and covered completely with gravel or 
other hard materials, and to be so levelled that water will not remain 
thereon after a shower of rain ; to completely clean and keep clean all 
the docks within the limits of the city, fronting on the Delaware ; and to 
pull down all platforms carried out, from the east part of the city over 
the river Delaware on piles or pillars. 

2. To pull down and remove all wooden buildings, as well those 
made of wood and other combustible materials, as those called brick- 
paned, or frame buildings filled in with bricks, that are erected within 
the limits of the city of Philadelphia, and also to prohibit the erection of 
any such building, within the said city's limits at any future time. 

3. To regulate, widen, pave and curb Water Street, and to distribute 
the Schuylkill water therein upon the following plan, that is to say — 
that Water Street be widened east and west from Vine Street all the 
way to South Street, in like manner as it is from the front of my dwelling 
to the front of my stores on the west side of Water Street, and the 
regulation of the curb-stones continued at the same distance from one 
another, as they are at present opposite to the said dwelling and stores, so 
that the regulation of the said street be not less than thirty-nine feet wide, 
and afford a large and convenient footway, clear of obstructions and in- 
cumbrances of every nature, and the cellar doors on which, if any shall be 
permitted, not to extend from the buildings on to the footway more than 
four feet; the said width to be increased gradually, as the fund shall 
permit, and as the capacity to remove impediments shall increase, until 
there shall be a correct and permanent regulation of Water Street, on 
the principles above stated, so that it may run north and south as straight 
as possible. That the ten feet middle Alley, belonging to the public, 
and running from the centre of the east squares to Front Street all the 
way down across Water Street to the river Delaware, be kept open and 
cleaned as city property, all the way from Vine to South Street ; that 
such part of each centre or middle Alley as runs from Front to Water 
Street, be arched over with bricks or stone, in so strong a manner as to 
facilitate the building of plain and permanent stone steps, and platforms, 
so that they may be washed and kept constantly clean ; and that the 
continuance of the said Alleys, from the east side of Water Street be 
curbed all the way to the river Delaware, and kept open forever. (I 
understand that those middle or centre Alleys, were left open in the first 
plan of the lots, on the east front of the city, which were granted from 
the east side of Front Street to the river Delaware, and that each lot on 
said east front has contributed to make those Alleys by giving a part of 



25 

their ground in proportion to the size of each lot ; those Alleys were in 
the first instance, and still are, considered public property, intended for 
the convenience of the inhabitants residing in Front Street to go down to 
the river for water and other purposes ; but, owing to neglect or to some 
other cause, on the part of those who have had the care of the city pro- 
perty, several encroachments have been made on them by individuals, by 
wholly occupying, or building over them, or otherwise, and in that way 
the inhabitants, more particularly those who reside in the neighbourhood, 
are deprived of the benefit of that wholesome air, which their opening and 
cleansing throughout would afford.) That the iron pipes, in Water Street, 
which, by being of smaller size than those in the other streets, and too 
near the surface of the ground, cause constant leaks, particularly in the 
winter season, which in many places render the street impassable, be 
taken up and replaced by pipes of the same size, quality and dimensions 
in every respect, and laid down as deeply from the surface of the ground, 
as the iron pipes, which are laid in the main streets of the city ; and as 
it respects pumps for Schuylkill water and fire-plugs in Water Street, 
that one of each be fixed at the south-west corner of Vine and Water 
Streets, and so running southward, one of each near the steps of the 
centre Alley, going up to Front Street ; one of each at the south-west 
corner of Sassafras and Water Streets, one of each near the steps of the 
centre Alley going up to Front Street, and so on at every south-west 
corner of all the main streets and Water Street, and of the centre Alleys 
of every square, as far as South or Cedar Street; and when the same 
shall have been completed, that all Water Street shall be repaved by the 
best workmen, in the most complete manner, with the best paving water- 
stones, after the height of the curb-stones shall have been regulated 
throughout, as well as the ascent and descent of the street, in such 
manner as to conduct the water through the main streets and the centre 
Alleys to the river Delaware, as far as practicable ; and whenever any 
part of the street shall want to be raised, to use nothing but good paving 
gravel for that purpose, so as to make the paving as permanent as possi- 
ble. By all which improvements, it is my intention to place and main- 
tain the section of the city above referred to, in a condition which will 
correspond better with the general cleanliness and appearance of the 
whole city, and be more consistent with the safety, health, and comfort 
of the citizens. And my mind and will are, that all the income, interest, 
and dividends of the said capital sum of five hundred thousand dollars, 
shall be yearly, and every year, expended upon the said objects, in the 
order in which I have stated them as closely as possible, and upon no 
other objects until those enumerated shall have been attained ; and, 
when those objects shall have been accomplished, I authorize and direct 
the said The Mayor, Aldermen, and Citizens, to apply such part of the 



26 

income of the said capital sum of five hundred thousand dollars, as they 
may think proper to the further improvement, from time to time, of the 
eastern or Delaware front of the city. 

XXIII. I give and bequeath to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, 
the sum of Three Hundred Thousand Dollars, for the purpose of internal 
improvement by canal navigation, to be paid into the State treasury by 
my executors, as soon as such laws shall have been enacted by the con- 
stituted authorities of the said Commonwealth as shall be necessary, and 
amply sufficient to carry into effect, or to enable the constituted authorities 

of the city of Philadelphia to carry into effect the several improvement 
above specified; namely, 1. Laws, to cause Delaware Avenue, as above 
described, to be made, paved, curbed, and lighted ; to cause the build- 
ings, fences, and other obstructions now existing to be abated and 
removed ; and to prohibit the creation of any such obstructions to the 
eastward of said Delaware Avenue ; 2. Laws, to cause all wooden build- 
ings as above described to be removed, and to prohibit their future 
erection within the limits of the city of Philadelphia ; 3. Laws, providing 
for the gradual widening, regulating, paving, and curbing Water Street, 
as herein before described, and also for repairing the middle alleys, and 
introducing the Schuylkill water, and pumps, as before specified — all 
which objects may, I persuade myself, be accomplished on principles at 
once just in relation to individuals, and highly beneficial to the public : 
the said sum, however, not to be paid, unless said laws be passed within 
one year after my decease. 

XXIV. And as it regards the remainder of said residue of my personal 
estate, in trust, to invest the same in good securities, and in like manner 
to invest the interest and income thereof from time to time, so that the 
whole shall form a permanent fund ; and to apply the income of the said 
fund, 

1st. To the further improvement and maintenance of the aforesaid 
College, as directed in the last paragraph of the XXIst clause of this 
Will: 

2d. To enable the Corporation of the City of Philadelphia to provide 
more effectually than they now do, for the security of the persons and 
property of the inhabitants of the said City, by a competent police, in- 
cluding a sufficient number of watchmen, r&ally suited to. the purpose; 
and to this end, I recommend a division of the City, into watch districts, 
or four parts, each under a proper head, and that, at least two watchmen 
s! all, in each round or station, patrole together. 

3d. To enable the said Corporation to improve the City property, 
and the general appearance of the Bity itself, and, in effect, to diminish 
tl e burden of taxation, now most oppressive, especially on those who are 
the least able to bear it: — 



27 

To all which objects, the prosperity of the City, and the health and 
comfort of its inhabitants, I devote the said fund as aforesaid, and direct 
the income thereof to be applied yearly and every year forever, after 
providing for the College as hereinbefore directed, as my primary object. 
But, if the said City shall knowingly and wilfully violate any of the 
conditions hereinbefore and hereinafter mentioned, then I give and be- 
queath the said remainder and accumulations to the Commonwealth of 
Pennsylvania, for the purposes of internal navigation ; excepting, how- 
ever, the rents, issues, and profits of my real estate in the City and 
County of Philadelphia, which shall forever be reserved and applied to 
maintain the aforesaid College, in the manner specified in the last para- 
graph of the XXIst clause of this Will : And if the Commonwealth of 
Pennsylvania shall fail to apply this or the preceding bequest to the 
purposes before mentioned, or shall apply any part thereof to any other 
use, or shall, for the term of one year from the time of my decease, fail 
or omit to pass the law T s hereinbefore specified for promoting the improve- 
ment of the City of Philadelphia, then I give, devise and bequeath the 
said remainder and accumulations (the rents aforesaid always excepted 
and reserved for the College as aforesaid) to the United States of America, 
for the purposes of internal navigation, and no other. 

Provided, nevertheless, and I do hereby declare, that all the preceding 
bequests and devises of the residue of my estate to the Mayor, Alder- 
men, and Citizens of Philadelphia, are made upon the following express 
conditions, that is to say : — Fust, That none of the monies, principal, 
interest, dividends, or rents, arising from the said residuary devise and 
bequest, shall at any time be applied to any other purpose or purposes 
whatever, than those herein mentioned and appointed : — Second, That 
separate accounts, distinct from the other accounts of the Corporation, 
shall be kept by the said Corporation, concerning the said devise, be- 
quest, College, and funds, and of the investment and application thereof; 
and that a separate account or accounts of the same shall be kept in 
bank, not blended with any other account, so that it may at all times 
appear on examination by a committee of the Legislature as hereinafter 
mentioned, that my intentions had been fully complied with: — Third, 
That the said Corporation render a detailed account annually, in dupli- 
cate, to the Legislature of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, at the 
commencement of the session, one copy for the Senate, and the other 
for the House of Representatives, concerning the said devised and 
bequeathed estate, and the investment and application of the same, and 
also a report in like manner of the state of the said College, and shall 
submit all their books, papers, and accounts touching the same, to a 
committee or committees of the Legislature for examination, when the 
same shall be required. 



28 

Fourth, the said Corporation shall also cause to be published in the 
month of January, annually, in two or more newspapers printed in the 
City of Philadelphia, a concise but plain account of the state of the 
trusts, devises and bequests herein declared and made, comprehending 
the condition of the said College, the number of scholars, and other par- 
ticulars needful to be publicly known, for the year next preceding the 
said month of January, annually. 

XXV. And whereas I have executed an assignment, in trust, of my 
banking establishment, to take effect the day before my decease, to the 
intent that all the concerns thereof may be closed by themselves, with- 
out being blended with the concerns of my general estate, and the 
balance remaining to be paid over to my executors : Now, I do hereby 
direct my executors, hereinafter mentioned, not to interfere with the 
said trust in any way except to see that the same is faithfully executed, 
and to aid the execution thereof by all such acts and deeds as may be 
necessary and expedient to effectuate the same, so that it maybe speedily 
closed, and the balance paid over to my executors, to go, as in my 
Will, into the residue of my estate : And I do hereby authorize, direct, 
and empower the said trustees, from time to time, as the capital of the 
said bank shall be received, and shall not be wanted for the discharge 
of the debts due thereat, to invest the same in good securities in the 
names of my executors, and to hand over the same to them, to be dis- 
posed of according to this my Will. 

XXVI. Lastly, I do hereby nominate and appoint Timothy Paxson, 
Thomas P. Cope, Joseph Roberts, William J. Duane, and John A. 
Barclay, executors of this my last Will and Testament : I recommend 
to them to close the concerns of my estate as expeditiously as possible, 
and to see that my intentions in respect to the residue of my estate are 
and shall be strictly complied with : and I do hereby revoke all other 
Wills by me heretofore made. 

In witness, I, the said Stephen Girard, have to this my last Will and 
Testament, contained in thirty-five pages, set my hand at the bottom of 
each page, and my hand and seal at the bottom of this page ; the said 
Will executed, from motives of prudence, in duplicate, this sixteenth day 
of February, in the year one thousand eight hundred and thirty. 

STEPHEN GIRARD. [Seal] 

Signed, sealed, published, and declared by the said Stephen ' 
Girard, as and for his last Will and Testament, in the 
presence of us, who have at his request hereunto subscribed 
our names as witnesses thereto, in the presence of the 
said Testator, and of each other, Feb. 16, 1830. 

JOHN H. IRWIN, 
SAMUEL ARTHUR, 
S. H. CARPENTER. 
9 



29 

WHEREAS, I, Stephen Girard, the Testator named in the foregoing 
Will and Testament, dated the sixteenth day of February, eighteen 
hundred and thirty, have, since the execution thereof, purchased several 
parcels and pieces of real estate, and have built sundry Messuages, all 
which, as well as any real estate that I may hereafter purchase, it is my 
wish and intention to pass by the said Will : Now, I do hereby republish 
the foregoing last Will and Testament, dated February 16, 1830, and 
do confirm the same in all particulars : In witness, I, the said Stephen 
Girard, set my hand and seal hereunto, the twenty-fifth day of Decem- 
ber, eighteen hundred and thirty. 

STEPHEN GIRARD. [Seal] 

Signed, sealed, published, and declared by the said Stephen ' 
Girard, as and for a republication of his last Will and 
Testament, in the presence of us, who, at his request, 
have hereunto subscribed our names as Witnesses there- 
to in the presence of the said Testator and of each other, 
December 25th, 1830. 

JOHN H. IRVIN, 
SAMUEL ARTHUR, 
JNO. THOMSON. 

WHEREAS, I, Stephen Girard, the Testator named in the foregoing 
Will and Testament, dated February 16, 1830, have, since the execu- 
tion thereof, purchased several parcels and pieces of land and real estate, 
and have built sundry Messuages, all which, as well as any real estate 
that I may hereafter purchase, it is my intention to pass by said Will ; 
And whereas in particular, I have recently purchased from Mr. William 
Parker, the Mansion House, out-buildings, and forty-five acres and 
some perches of land, called Peel Hall, on the Ridge Road, in Penn 
Township : Now, I declare it to be my intention, and I direct, that the 
Orphan establishment, provided for in my said Will, instead of being 
built as therein directed upon my square of ground between High and 
Chesnut and Eleventh and Twelfth Streets in the City of Philadelphia, 
shall be built upon the estate so purchased from Mr. W. Parker, and I 
hereby devote the said estate to that purpose, exclusively, in the same 
manner as I had devoted the said square, hereby directing that all the 
improvements and arrangements for the said Orphan establishment pre- 
scribed by my said "Will as to said square shall be made and executed 
upon the said estate, just as if I had in my Will devoted the said estate 
to said purpose — consequently, the said square of ground is to constitute, 
and I declare it to be a part of the residue and remainder of my real and 
personal estate, and given and devised for the same uses and purposes 
as are declared in section twenty, of my Will, it being my intention that 
the said square of ground shall be built upon and improved in such a 
manner as to secure a safe and permanent income for the purposes stated 



30 

in said twentieth section. In witness whereof, I, the said Stephen Girard, 
set my hand and seal hereunto, the twentieth day of June, eighteen 
hundred and thirty-one. 

STEPHEN GIRARD. [Seal] 

Signed, sealed, published, and declared, by the said Stephen ' 
Girard, as and for a republication of his last Will and 
Testament, and a further direction in relation to the real 
estate therein mentioned, in the presence of us, who, at 
his request, have hereunto subscribed our names as wit- 
nesses thereto, in the presence of the said Testator, and 
of each other, June 20, 1831. 

S. H. CARPENTER, 
L. BARDIN, 
SAMUEL ARTHUR. 

Philadelphia, December 31st, 1831, — Then personally appeared 
Samuel Arthur and S. H. Carpenter, two of the witnesses to the fore- 
going Will and the second Codicil or republication thereof, and on their 
oaths did say, that they were present, and did see and hear Stephen 
Girard, the testator in the said Will and second republication thereof 
named, sign, seal, publish and declare the same as and for his last Will 
and Testament, and republication thereof, and that at the doing thereof, 
he was of sound mind, memory and understanding, to the best of their 
knowlege and belief; and at the same time appeared Jno. Thomson, 
one of the witnesses to the first republication of said Will, and on his 
solemn affirmation did say, that he was present, and did see and*hear 
Stephen Girard, the testator in the first republication of said Will, named, 
sign, seal, publish, and declare the same as and for a republication of 
his last Will and Testament. And the said Samuel Arthur, another of 
the witnesses to said first republication of said Will, on his oath did 
further say, that he was present, and did see and hear Stephen Girard, 
the testator in the first republication of said Will, named, sign, seal, 
publish and declare the same as and for a republication of his last Will 
and Testament, and they both did say that at the doing thereof, he was 
of sound mind, memory, and understanding, to the best of their know- 
ledge and belief. 

Coram, 

J. HUMES, Register. 

December 31, 1831. — Timothy Paxson and Thomas P. Cope, two 
of the Executors, affirmed, and Joseph Roberts, William J. Duane, and 
John A. Barclay, the other Executors, sworn, and letters" testamentary 
granted unto them. 



FORM OF APPLICATION. 

To the Directors of the Girard College for Orphans : 

The undersigned of having duly considered 

the information given, by the Directors of the Girard College for Or- 
phans, to those who may desire to place poor white male orphan chil- 
dren therein, hereby applies for the admission of the said into 
the College, he being a poor white male orphan, between the ages of 
six and ten years. The undersigned, in answer to the several ques- 
tions, in the list hereto appended, gives an accurate statement of facts, 
and desires that those answers may be considered as if they were state- 
ments made herein. 

QUESTIONS. 

1. What is the name of the poor white male orphan, for whose ad- 
mission into the Girard College the above application is made ? [State 
the name in full.] 

2. When was he born ? [State the day, month, and year.] 

3. Where was he born ? 

4. What was his father's name, and when and where did he die? 

5. Is his mother living, and if she is, what is her name and where 
does she reside ? 

6. Is he sound in mind and body, and what diseases has he had ? 

7. What has been his general moral conduct ? 

8. Has he had any education ? 

9. Has he manifested any inclination, preference or taste for any 
particular trade, occupation or art ? 

10. Are there any pecuniary means at the disposal of his mother, 
or other person, for his maintenance and education? 

11. By whom, or on what means has he been maintained since the 
death of his father ? 

12. What was his father's occupation or trade ? 

The undersigned believe that confidence may be placed in the fore- 
going representation, made by who applies for the admission 
of as a poor white male orphan child into the Girard College. 

Whereas, is a poor white male orphan, between the ages of 

six and ten years, having been born on the day of in the 

year at in : And whereas, has applied 

for his admission into the Girard College for Orphans, and the Direc- 
tors thereof have assented thereto : Now this Indenture witnesseth, that 
the Guardians for the Relief and Employment of the Poor of the City 
of Philadelphia, the District of Southwark, and the Townships of the 
Northern Liberties and Penn, by the authority of an Act of the General 
Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, passed on the 27th 

31 






32 



day of February, 1847, entitled « An Act relative to the Girard Col 
lege for Orphans," do hereby, with the consent of , which con- 

sent is signified by signing and sealing these presents, bind the 

said to the Mayor, Aldermen and Citizens of Philadelphia, 

and their successors, as trustees under the will of Stephen Girard, de- 
ceased, as an orphan to be admitted into the said College, to be there 
maintained and educated according to the provisions, and in the man- 
ner and under all the regulations and restrictions specified in the said 
will, and under such others as the Mayor, Aldermen and Citizens of 
Philadelphia may lawfully ordain under the said will ; and the said or- 
phan shall abide by and submit to all such provisions and regula- 
tions : and the Mayor, Aldermen and Citizens of Philadelphia, hereby 
covenant, agree and declare to and with the Guardians aforesaid, that the 
said orphan shall be entitled to have and receive all the benefits 
of said College according to the will of the said Stephen Girard. In 
testimony whereof, the said parties to this indenture have respectively 
caused their corporate seals to be hereunto affixed, and the said 
hath hereunto set hand and seal this day of in the year 

Sealed and delivered in ) 
the presence of ) 



i- 



BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE 

GIRARD COLLEGE FOR ORPHANS, 1847-1848. 

President— JOSEPH R. CHANDLER, 

Ex-officio Member of all Standing Committees. 
William Biddle, Charles Gilpin, Samuel H. Perkins, 

James J. Boswell, Saunders Lewis, James Rowland, 

Mord. L. Dawson E. Jot Morris, George W. Toland 

William J. Duane, Samuel Norris, T. U. Walter, 

Frederick Fraley, J. Rodman Paul, John Wiegand. 

Alexander Henrt, Jr., Secretary. 

Committee on Instruction — Messrs. Fraley, Biddle, Perkins, Paul, Morris, Dawson. 
Committee on Household — Messrs. Gilpin, Norris, Boswell, Lewis, Walter, Biddle. 
Committee on Accounts — Messrs. Wiegand, Toland, Rowland, Norris, Boswell, Morris. 
Committee on Admission and ^Discharge — Messrs. Duane, Gilpin, Perkins, Toland, 
Rowland, Lewis. 

Library Committee — Messrs. Paul, Wiegand, Fraley, Walter, Duane, Dawson. 

Treasurer of the Girard Fund — Charles S. Smith. 

Agent of the Girard Estate — Isaac Myer. 

Agent for Farms of the Girard Estate — George Bastian. 



